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4.
1)
About Oxford Brookes University
With an international reputation for innovation, high quality education and research,
and global relationships Oxford Brookes University‟s commitment to excellent
teaching and providing a great student experience has been recognised by The
Times as part the Good University Guide 2012.
The Times states that Oxford Brookes is “firmly established as England‟s leading
post-1992 University” and rose three places to reach 48th in a table of UK Higher
Education Institutions. This has afforded Oxford Brookes “a level of competition not
unlike that at some Russell Group universities”.
The Faculty also hosts one of the UK's 24 Higher Education Academy Subject
Centres, set up to share good practice in teaching.
Oxford Brookes University – like other UK universities – has degree awarding power,
granted by Royal Charter. But what does this mean? Well, these powers are granted
on the basis of Oxford Brookes University having appropriate procedures for assuring
the quality and standards of its awards in both design and operation, and being
subject to the scrutiny of the QAA, the body responsible to the UK Government's
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills for assuring the quality of UK
Higher Education in the public interest. So although you don‟t physically attend
Oxford Brookes University to gain the BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Accounting, the
degree programme is of the same rigorous standard as other degrees offered by
Oxford Brookes University and meets standards set by QAA.
In an independent assessment of teaching quality, the Business Faculty was one of
only two in the country to achieve the maximum score (24/24) across more than one
subject area.
The School's reputation has also been recognised through the award of a national,
multi-million-pound Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning, which has
developed a new learning centre on campus with the latest technology to support
learning in a café-style environment.
In a recent QAA audit of Oxford Brookes University it concluded that it has 'broad
confidence' (the highest category available) in the quality and standards of its
awards.
So by gaining the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting, awarded by Oxford Brookes
University, you will not only demonstrate to potential or existing employers that you
possess all the relevant graduate skills to equip you for a brilliant career in
accounting and finance, but that it is from a university that has a reputation for
excellence.
1

5.
2) Eligibility
To be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting you must:




Be eligible for the degree. This means you must be registered with Oxford
Brookes University i.e. opted-in to the BSc degree scheme before passing
any of the three ACCA Fundamentals papers, F7, F8 and F9
Pass the three ACCA Fundamentals papers F7, F8 and F9 and pass other
papers as required to successfully complete all nine Fundamentals level
papers
Complete the ACCA Professional Ethics module before submitting a
Research and Analysis Project to Oxford Brookes University
Complete and pass the Oxford Brookes University Research and Analysis
Project.
The degree must be completed within 10 years of your start date onto the ACCA‟s
professional qualification otherwise your eligibility will be withdrawn
If you are unsure on your eligibility for the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting degree,
then you should firstly refer to myACCA which will tell you whether or not you have
opted in to the degree scheme and whether or not you are eligible.
If you are not eligible for the degree programme, then it will be for one of the
following reasons:
You ticked the box on your ACCA registration form stating you did not wish to
join the Oxford Brookes University degree programme



If you are yet to complete Papers F7, F8 and F9, you may opt back in to the
BSc degree by contacting ACCA Connect.
If you have already passed ANY of Papers F7, F8 or F9, then unfortunately it
is now too late to opt back into the degree programme.
If you hold exemptions for any of Papers F7-F9, then you may contact ACCA
Connect to forfeit these in order to remain eligible. This must be done before
sitting any of the other core Papers of F7-F9 - once you have forfeited your
exemption you cannot reverse this decision.
You do not hold a suitable English language qualification

Providing you complete Paper F4, then this will be acceptable. Oxford
Brookes University deems Paper F4 as proof of English proficiency therefore
you should complete this exam and opt in with ACCA before passing Papers
F7-F9.
You enrolled with ACCA over 10 years ago

The BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting degree has a 10 year deadline starting
from a student‟s start date with ACCA. If this has expired in your case, we
regret that you are no longer eligible to complete the degree with us.
2

6.
The Professional Ethics Module
In order to qualify for the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting degree, all students must
firstly complete the 9 Fundamental exams as well as the online Professional Ethics
Module (PEM). This module is compulsory for anyone submitting a project to Oxford
Brookes – even though you may not have to complete it as part of your ACCA
studies if you registered before 2007.
The PEM is accessed via your myACCA page, but you will only be given access to
the module once you are eligible to sit for Paper P1. The module does not need to be
completed in one go, and you may therefore find yourself re-visiting the module as it
takes approximately 2-3 hours in total to complete. Once you have fully completed it,
you are required to write a completion statement, and a certificate will subsequently
be sent to you.
By completing this module, you will be gaining a better understanding of ethical
issues in accounting, and it will also give you a chance to reflect on your own
behaviours.
If you are not able to access the Professional Ethics Module via your myACCA,
alternative arrangements can be made by contacting students@accaglobal.com
3

7.
3) Conversion arrangements
3.a) ACCA exam conversion arrangements
Oxford Brookes University will recognise any passes or exemptions from Part 1 and
Part 2 exams in the ACCA Professional scheme that are converted to the
Fundamentals level of the ACCA Qualification, as contributions towards the award of
the BSc degree.
4

8.
4) Aims and outcomes
The principal aim of the BSc degree programme is to widen access to Oxford
Brookes University (OBU) and enable ACCA students across the world the
opportunity to obtain an OBU degree.
The BSc degree aims to enhance and extend the knowledge and skills gained by you
in your professional studies, and to improve your effectiveness as a professional
accountancy student and future finance professional.
4.a) Programme regulations
4.a.i) Admission
The minimum academic entry requirements for registering on the BSc degree are two
A Levels plus three GCSEs (grade C or above) in five separate subjects including
Maths and English. Oxford Brookes University recognises a number of other
qualifications which satisfy the minimum English language requirement, including a
Pass in ACCA Paper F4, Corporate and Business Law. Further details can be
obtained from the ACCA office at Oxford Brookes University.
If you registered with ACCA under the mature student entry route (MSER) and do not
have an acceptable English Language qualification, you will be permitted to register
for the BSc degree only after you have passed Paper F4, Corporate and Business
Law.
If you are a CAT student, and have passed the CAT Advanced level exam papers,
you meet all the entry requirements for the BSc degree; however this does not apply
to the new FIA suite of exams.
For the new FIA suite of examinations you are required to have an appropriate
English language qualification as detailed above.
4.a.ii) Exemptions
As a registered student, you may be given exemptions from one or more of the nine
ACCA specified exam papers. Exemption decisions are made by ACCA and ACCA
exemption policy is periodically reviewed by Oxford Brookes University. However, if
you wish to achieve the BSc degree you must sit and pass all of the three ACCA
subjects F7, F8 and F9.
No exemption can be given from the Professional Ethics Module or from the Oxford
Brookes University Research and Analysis Project (RAP).
4.a.iii) Progression
When you register with ACCA to undertake the ACCA Qualification, you are
automatically registered with Oxford Brookes University for the BSc (Hons) in Applied
Accounting, unless you opted-out of the BSc degree programme at the time of
initially registering with ACCA.
If you have opted-put, you may re-register for the BSc degree scheme provided you
have not passed any of the three subjects – F7, F8 and F9. If you have passed any
one of these three subjects you cannot then register on to the BSc degree.
5

9.
4.a.iv) Oxford Brookes University Research and Analysis Project
You must pass or be exempt from the ACCA Fundamentals exams, including sitting
and passing all of F7, F8 and F9, and complete the Professional Ethics module
before submitting a RAP to Oxford Brookes University.
You will need to find a project mentor to assist you with your RAP, by providing
guidance and advice on your RAP and also to verify that you made an oral
presentation at the end of your project research. Your project mentor should be a
member of staff at an ACCA tuition provider, your line manager or an ACCA qualified
member. Please note that this is different role to the role of the workplace mentor you
need when completing your practical experience requirements, although you may
find that your line manager is the most appropriate person to fulfill both these roles.
Oxford Brookes University has two submission periods each year during which you
may submit an OBU RAP, once the submission period has closed it will not be
possible to upload your RAP.
You are required to pay a project submission fee to Oxford Brookes University with
any project submission. See the section on Submission Periods for the current
submission fee.
4.b) Programme learning outcomes
On completing the degree programme, you will have demonstrated a capability to:
4.b.i) Knowledge and understanding
K1
Critically evaluate accounting concepts and principles and their application in
solutions to practical accounting problems.
K2
Prepare financial statements of entities, including groups of companies, using
relevant financial information, accounting techniques and standards; and to
analyse and interpret such financial statements.
K3
Use relevant management accounting techniques with cost information, for
planning, decision-making, performance evaluation and control, within
different business settings.
K4
Apply financial management techniques to issues affecting investment,
financing, and dividend policy decisions of an organisation.
K5
Understand the general legal framework, and apply specific legal principles
relating to business, including taxation legislation as applicable to individuals,
single companies and groups of companies.
K6
Explain the process of carrying out the assurance (audit) engagement and its
application in the context of the professional (audit) regulatory framework.
K7
Describe the organisational context of the accountant and of the development
of accounting information systems; to understand the need for the efficient
use of resources within an organisation.
6

10.
K8
Understand the ethical responsibilities of professional accountants, including
the principles of the ACCA code of conduct, and to reflect on ethical dilemmas
and potential solutions.
4.b.ii) Disciplinary and professional skills
D1
Prepare non-complex financial statements using generally accepted
accounting principles.
D2
Evaluate and comment on the performance and financial situation of
organisations using a range of interpretative techniques.
D3
Select and apply appropriate accounting and financial management
techniques to organisational business planning, decision-making and control.
D4
Understand the limitations of accounting techniques and the implications of
such limitations.
D5
Understand the limitations of acquired knowledge of legal and taxation issues
and recognise the need to seek further specialist advice where necessary.
D6
Communicate analysis of accounting and financial information and
recommendations to a variety of different audiences.
4.b.iii) Transferable Skills
T1
Solve problems through the identification of key issues, synthesis of
information and analytical tools, and the presentation and critical evaluation of
a range of options.
T2
Communicate appropriately in writing and through an oral presentation.
T3
Complete a programme of study through independent and self managed
learning.
T4
Undertake an independent Research Report relating to a single organisation
or industry sector.
T5
Prepare a written report which meets academic requirements of information
collection and referencing of information sources.
T6
Use information technology to record and analyse financial data, to collect
information from a range of sources and to present research findings.
T7
To reflect on the learning attained through completing the programme and its
impact on future professional development and employment roles.
4.c) RAP learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of the OBU RAP are achieved through your experience of
undertaking a research based project related to a single organisation. The learning
7

11.
outcomes are achieved through completing the two components of the OBU RAP;
the Research Report (RR) and the Skills and Learning Statement (SLS). There is no
syllabus for the OBU RAP and none of the learning outcomes are based on direct
teaching by OBU staff.
The purpose of the OBU RAP is to allow you to demonstrate certain specific
transferable capabilities of the BSc degree programme:
T4
Undertake an independent Research Report relating to a single organisation
or industry sector.
T5
Prepare a written report which meets academic requirements of information
collection and referencing of information sources.
T6
Use information technology to record and analyse financial data, to collect
information from a range of sources and to present research findings.
T7
To reflect on the learning attained through completing the programme and its
impact on future professional development and employment roles.
And to use the experience gained by undertaking the OBU RAP to contribute to the
development of other BSc programme capabilities:
4.c.i) Knowledge and understanding (K)
K1
Critically evaluate accounting concepts and principles and their application in
solutions to practical accounting problems.
4.c.ii) Disciplinary and professional skills (D)
D3
Select and apply appropriate accounting and financial management
techniques to organisational business planning, decision-making and control.
D4
Understand the limitations of accounting techniques and the implications of
such limitations.
D6
Communicate analysis of accounting and financial information and
recommendations to a variety of different audiences.
4.c.iii) Transferable Skills (T)
T1
Solve problems through the identification of key issues, synthesis of
information and analytical tools, and the presentation and critical evaluation of
a range of options.
T2
Communicate appropriately in writing and through an oral presentation.
T3
Complete a programme of study through independent and self managed
learning.
8

12.
5) Assessment
The Research and Analysis Project (RAP) is the final component of the BSc degree
and consists of two separate documents; a 6,500 word Research Report (RR) and a
2,000 word Skills and Learning Statement (SLS). You are also required to give a
presentation on the project to your project mentor.
You have three attempts to pass the RAP. Unfortunately, if you fail the RAP on three
separate occasions you will no longer be eligible to complete the BSc degree. Please
note that you can either submit the same project topic three times or three different
RAPs.
To pass the RAP you must pass both the Research Report (RR) and the Skills and
Learning Statement (SLS). If you do not pass both components separately within the
same RAP submission you will be awarded a Fail grade for the RAP.
You will be given one of three Pass grades (A, B or C) or a Fail grade (F) for the
performance in the RR. You will be given either a Pass grade or a Fail grade for the
performance in the SLS.
If you achieve one of the three Pass grades for the RR and the Pass grade for the
SLS, then a pass in the RAP will be awarded. The grade awarded to you for the
performance in the RAP will be that awarded to you for the RR i.e. A, B or C. Once
you have been awarded one of the three Pass grades for the RAP, then you cannot
make any further RAP submissions.
If you are awarded either a Fail grade in the RR or a Fail grade in the SLS, then you
will be awarded a Fail grade for the RAP. If you are awarded a Fail grade on the first
RAP submission you will be allowed up to two further RAP submissions.
5.a) Marking and moderation of your work
Post assessment moderation approach: Assessments are marked and given clear
comments by one member of staff (the first assessor). A representative sample of
these assessments is reviewed by a second assessor(s) from within the team. This
process is reviewed by the chief moderator and is informed by an analysis of marks
given by each marker - averages, ranges etc.
Following internal moderation, a sample of scripts is reviewed by the External
Examiner for the programme to ensure that the standards applied are comparable to
those at other institutions.
5.b) Assessment criteria
5.b.i) Assessment of Research Report
The assessment of the RR, as follows, demonstrates the importance of the quality of
the understanding of the accountancy/business models used in the RR and their
application to the RAP project topic. Your 'graduate' skills will be assessed for a level
of competence.
To achieve a pass in the RR you must gain one of the three Pass grades (A, B or C)
for the 'Technical and Professional Skills' and demonstrate Competence in the
9

13.
'Graduate Skills'. The overall grade you get for the RR is that which is awarded for
the 'Technical and Professional Skills' component of the RR.
Learning Outcome
Technical and professional skills
Assessment
Grade A, B, C or F
Understanding of accountancy / K1
business models
Application of accountancy /
business models
D3
Evaluation of information,
analysis and conclusions
T1
Presentation of project findings
D6
Graduate skills
Competence / Noncompetence
Communication
T2
Information gathering and
referencing
T5
Information technology
T6
Research Report assessment
Grade A, B, C or F
5.b.ii) Assessment of Skills and Learning Statement
In the SLS, the student will be asked to reflect on the following four questions.




Reflect on what you have learnt from the meetings with your project mentor,
including the presentation that you gave to your project mentor?
To what extent do you think you have achieved the RAP research objectives
you set?
How have you demonstrated your interpersonal and communication skills
during the project work?
Reflect on how undertaking the RAP helped you in your accountancy studies
and/or current employment role?
The assessment for the SLS considers whether you have demonstrated competence
in the 'graduate' skills of self-reflection and communication skills – specifically, the
preparation and delivery of a presentation to your project mentor. To achieve a pass
in the SLS you must demonstrate competence in both self-reflection and
communication skills.
10

14.
Learning Outcome
Graduate skills
Assessment
Competence
Self reflection
T7
Communication skills (including
presentation)
T2
Skills and Learning Statement
assessment
Pass/Fail
Details of the full assessment criteria for both the Research Report and the Skills and
Learning statement are available in APPENDIX 1
5.c) Resubmission rules
The following rules will apply to RAP resubmissions:





If you do not pass the RAP after a third submission, unfortunately you will no
longer be eligible to complete the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting degree
If you pass the RR at the first attempt, but are awarded a Fail grade in the
SLS, you only need resubmit the SLS. You cannot submit a revised RR in any
further RAP submission. The Grade awarded in your RR will carry forward
and become the Research and Analysis Project grade if you are subsequently
successful in your SLS.
If you fail the RR on the first submission you will be awarded a grade C for
any successful subsequent RR, even if the resubmitted RR is initially
assessed as being of a higher pass grade.
If you fail the RR but are awarded a pass in the SLS, then you need only
submit the revised RR and not the SLS
Resubmissions will always require the full project Fee to be paid.
5.d) Determination of class of degree
The class of BSc degree will be based on both:


The ACCA average mark determined from the exam marks in the
Fundamentals Skills papers (F4–F9)
The grade achieved for the Research and Analysis Project.
The ACCA average mark will be calculated by taking the numerical average of the
marks achieved in the Fundamentals Skills papers (F4–F9) that you have sat and
passed.
Where the calculated average mark is not a whole number, the calculated average
will be rounded up or down accordingly. If you have been given an exemption from
any of the three papers F4–F6, no mark is available and so will not be included in the
calculation of the ACCA average mark.
11

15.
The class of degree for each combination of ACCA average mark and Research and
Analysis Project grade is shown below.
Class of Degree
ACCA average mark
First
Upper
Second
Lower
Second
Third
68 or more
A, B, C
-
-
-
67
A, B
C
-
-
66
A
B, C
-
-
60-65
-
A, B, C
-
-
59
-
A, B
C
-
58
-
A
B, C
-
54-57
-
-
A, B, C
-
53
-
-
A, B
C
50-52
-
-
-
A, B, C
5.d.i) Examples





A student with an ACCA average mark of 69 and a grade B for the Project will
be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting with First Class Honours
A student with an ACCA average mark of 67 and a grade C for the Project will
be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting with Upper Second Class
Honours
A student with an ACCA average mark of 59 and a grade B for the Project will
be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting with Upper Second Class
Honours
A student with an ACCA average mark of 55 and a grade A for the Project will
be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting with Lower Second Class
Honours
A student with an ACCA average mark of 53 and a grade C for the Project will
be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting with Third Class Honours.
12

16.
6) The role of the project mentor
If you wish to submit a Research and Analysis Project (RAP) to Oxford Brookes
University then you must have a Project Mentor. The Project Mentor has two different
roles. The first which is focused on you is to support your preparation of your RAP,
by providing advice and feedback to you at appropriate times during your RAP
activities.
Secondly, the Project Mentor will confirm to Oxford Brookes University that he or she
has been your Project Mentor and that your RAP is your own work. Your RAP
registration form will require you to enter contact details for your Project Mentor and
your Project Mentor will be required to confirm that they undertook your mentoring.
You will have three meetings with your Project Mentor. These meetings provide your
Project Mentor with the opportunity to guide your RAP work and provide feedback to
you. The meetings also provide you with the opportunity to develop your personal
skills including questioning, listening and giving a presentation. You will reflect on this
graduate skills development in your Skills and Learning Statement.
Your Project Mentor is not expected to have specialist knowledge within your project
topic area or of academic research methods. Your Project Mentor does not play any
part in the assessment of your RAP beyond the certification provided to Oxford
Brookes University. You should not have to ask your Project Mentor what you have
to do to pass – this is given in the assessment criteria for the RAP. You should not
expect your Project Mentor to give you detailed advice on the structure and content
of your Research Report or to write any of your RAP for you. Those decisions and
actions are solely your own responsibility.
However it will be very helpful for your Project Mentor to understand what is required
of you to prepare your RAP to the highest standard of which you are capable. You
should provide your Project Mentor with as much information as you think useful
about the Oxford Brookes University Research and Analysis Project and what is
required of you. This could include the information included in these web pages.
Your Project Mentor should encourage you to think about what you propose to do in
your RAP work, challenge you to demonstrate that you are meeting your project
objectives and that you will be able to meet your timetable for submission of your
RAP to Oxford Brookes University. Your Project Mentor may also ask you to
demonstrate your understanding of the issues that have arisen during your research,
and may wish to question you on your conclusions and recommendations.
APPENDIX 2 comprises some additional notes that you may want to give your
mentor to help them mentor you.
6.a) Choosing your Project Mentor
It is your responsibility to find someone to act as your Project Mentor and to arrange
three meetings with him or her. It is not possible for Oxford Brookes University to
provide a Project Mentor for you but Oxford Brookes University has identified three
categories of individuals from which you should choose your Project Mentor.
The person you choose should be one of the following:

Your tutor at College or University
13

17.


A senior colleague at work e.g. your line manager
A qualified Chartered Certified Accountant.
If you identify somebody as a potential Project Mentor who does not fall into any of
these three categories, then you should contact the ACCA office at Oxford Brookes
University and provide a copy of your suggested Project Mentor‟s CV for approval. If
the proposed Project Mentor is a member of a recognised professional body or
institute and / or holds a recognised degree equivalent qualification then it is likely
that approval will be given.
Oxford Brookes University has identified the following characteristics of an effective
Project Mentor. You may wish to reflect on this list of attributes when making your
own choice of Project Mentor.













Is approachable and has genuine interest in helping students to succeed
Listens and actively questions
Respects confidentiality and is trustworthy
Acts as a sounding board to explore ideas and issues arising from research
Provides positive and constructive feedback on research being carried out
Challenges and discusses effective communication
Offers support and encouragement
Helps the student meet their objectives
Helps the student ask the right questions, to think systematically, to learn to
apply appropriate evaluation techniques and to analyse and interpret the
findings
Remains neutral and not judgmental
Provides subtle guidance but ensures student makes the decisions
Is knowledgeable and competent
Grasps the essence of the technicalities without becoming a subject matter
expert.
6.a.i) On line mentoring website
Oxford Brookes University has an On-line Mentoring website. The aim of this website
is to:


Provide a medium for students to find suitably qualified mentors for the BSc in
Applied Accounting Research and Analysis Project
To provide an On-line Mentoring Course for potential mentors providing them
with a knowledge and skills base and learning materials so that they can best
support their students in the mentoring process.
Registering as a mentor on this course will give mentors the option to be listed on the
global database. The global database will be in both map and list form and will be
available to mentees seeking mentors.
14

18.
The price of the Online Mentoring course is £85. ACCA students can sign up as a
mentee through the website given below and will have free access to the website and
will be able to use it to find themselves mentors.
The Online Mentoring Course aims to give mentors a greater appreciation of the
mentoring process and includes:







Three interactive work modules, each with an online test
Interactive presentations which introduce mentoring and detail mentoring in
the context of the Applied Accounting Programme
Video introductions by Oxford Brookes Visiting Professor David Clutterbuck.
Resources and links to further reading
ACCA member CPD credits on successful completion
Details of global mentoring related events
Registration to a global database allowing potential mentees to search for
your profile and contact you.
If mentors are an ACCA member, studying this module may count towards their CPD
as long as the material is relevant to your training and development needs. One hour
of learning equates to one hour of CPD: ACCA advises that mentors use this as a
guide when allocating CPD units. Upon successful completion of the programme
mentors will be awarded with a certificate which may qualify for 6 hours of CPD
credits. Becoming a mentor is a noted method of management development. It is
highly relevant to most jobs and non-work life and enables you to give back to the
student community, as well as furthering your life long learning experience.
If your mentor is interested in undertaking the on-line mentoring course or if you are
interested in signing on and accessing as a mentee then please go to:
http://www.oxfordbrookesmentoring.co.uk/
15

19.
6.b) Meetings with your Project Mentor
Oxford Brookes University requires that you have at least three meetings with your
Project Mentor, each of which would normally be about 30 minutes in length. If your
Project Mentor agrees, you could have additional meetings, or longer meetings, but
you should negotiate this before you start your RAP work. We suggest a framework
for the three meetings below.
The Project Mentor meetings should focus not only on the planning and research
needed to prepare a good Research and Analysis Project (RAP), but also on the
opportunity for you to develop skills in listening, questioning and presenting your
findings. We suggest that your planning for each meeting includes the preparation of
an agenda of issues which can be covered in the time available to you. Focus on the
key issues and identify the desired outcomes from the meeting. Take notes to record
the actions needed to progress your Research Report and to contribute to your
reflection for your Skills and Learning Statement.
6.b.i) The first meeting - planning and your RAP title
Before your first Project Mentor meeting you should identify possible project topic
areas and/or the organization that you wish to study. You should also think about the
way in which you plan to undertake your research work and prepare a draft RAP
timetable.
Remember that to get the best out of your Project Mentor, you need to give your
Project Mentor some of your ideas so that they can provide you with some useful
feedback. Give your Project Mentor sufficient time to read what you have written and
be ready to give clarification of your ideas.
You can use the first meeting to discuss your possible choices of topic area and
project objectives with your Project Mentor. It is very important to have a clear idea of
the aims and objectives of your RAP at the beginning of your research work. This will
determine how you collect information and how you evaluate data. Getting a robust
structure within which the project research will be conducted is crucial to your
success.
Your Project Mentor may focus on the following issues in the first meeting:






Have you a clear view of what you want to do?
Are your project ideas realistic given your previous learning?
Do you know how you will undertake your research?
Is your information gathering approach robust?
How will you demonstrate your analytical and evaluative skills?
Is your RAP timetable realistic?
Your desired outcomes from the first meeting may include the following:





An agreed Research and Analysis Project title
Clarification of your Research Report aims and objectives
An agreed approach to undertaking your project research
A robust and realistic timetable for completing your Research and Analysis
Project
Reflection on your personal skills for your Skills and Learning Statement.
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6.b.ii) The second meeting - Research Report progress update
The second meeting is the opportunity for you to get
Mentor on the indicative findings of your Research
meeting you should have gathered your information
evaluation to give you some insight into how well you
Report aims and objectives.
feedback from your Project
Report. Before the second
and data and done some
are meeting your Research
You should provide an update on your progress to your Project Mentor. This could
include a word-processed document with the structure of your finished Research
Report. This draft report could include the early chapters covering aims and
objectives, why you have chosen to apply particular accounting or business
techniques and how you have chosen to undertake the project research. Your
findings may be provisional at this point but such a document will give your Project
Mentor a very clear idea of your progress.
Your Project Mentor may focus on the following issues in the second meeting:







Does your written work contribute towards meeting your aims and objectives?
Does your written work meet the Research Report assessment criteria?
Have you been able to do everything you planned?
If you have had to change your approach, is it still consistent with your
objectives?
Is your evaluation of information and data in sufficient depth?
What further work do you still have to undertake?
Are you still confident that you will meet your RAP deadline?
Your desired outcomes from the second meeting may include the following:







Reassurance that your Research Report is progressing well
You are confident that you are fulfilling the Research Report assessment
criteria
You can identify changes that you will make following your Project Mentor
feedback
You can identify possible improvements to the quality of your work to date
You feel confident that you know what else is required of you to complete the
RAP
Realisation that you are able to meet your RAP timetable
Reflection on your personal skills for your Skills and Learning Statement.
6.b.iii) The third meeting - the presentation
By the time you get to the third meeting, you should have completed your research
and nearly finished writing your Research Report. You should provide a copy of your
draft Research Report to your Project Mentor before the third meeting. This meeting
includes a 15 minute presentation that you give to your Project Mentor and perhaps
also to other students who have undertaken their own RAP.
You will need to investigate how to prepare an effective presentation, using
PowerPoint or overhead slides. A copy of your presentation must be submitted as
part of your Skills and Learning Statement. You will also gain experience of giving a
presentation to an audience and responding to questions.
Your Project Mentor may focus on the following issues in the third meeting:
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21.






Is the content of the presentation consistent with the Research Report
findings?
How effective was the presentation? Did it make sense?
Are there satisfactory links between the different parts of the project, from
objectives through to findings and conclusions?
Is the quality of the analysis and evaluation sufficient to meet the required
standard?
If you were to do the RAP again, what might you do differently?
Given the feedback and questions, will you make any changes to your
Research Report before it is submitted to Oxford Brookes University?
Your desired outcomes from the third meeting may include the following:




You are confident that you have produced a good Research Report which
meets the assessment criteria
You can identify further improvements to the quality of your Research Report
Reflection on your presentation skills for your Skills and Learning Statement
You have the required presentation to include in your Skills and Learning
Statement.
Following the third meeting you will finalise your Research Report and Skills and
Learning Statement. You will submit online the completed Research and Analysis
Project to Oxford Brookes University.
You will be required to provide the email contact details of your mentor so that Oxford
Brookes University can send an email confirmation request to your mentor confirming
that they did undertake the mentoring of your RAP. Please therefore confirm with
your mentor their email address and explain that Oxford Brookes University will be
sending a mentor confirmation request to them. The mentor confirmation request will
be made shortly after your RAP submission and will be made to all mentors.
6.c) Contribution to Skills and Learning Statement
You are required to respond to four different questions in the preparation of your
Skills and Learning Statement. Two of these are directly related to your meetings
with your Project Mentor:


'What did you learn from the meetings with your project mentor, including the
presentation that you gave to your project mentor?'
'How have you demonstrated your interpersonal and communication skills
during the project work?'
To pass the Skills and Learning Statement you have to show your ability to reflect on
judgments that you have made and / or actions that you have taken during your
project work. You also have to provide evidence that you recognise your own
strengths and weaknesses.
It is very important that you think carefully about what you want to achieve in each of
the three meetings. It is equally important to reflect after each meeting on what
happened during the meeting and how effective you were in meeting your meeting
objectives. If you make a note after each meeting, or keep a personal diary of
reflections, then you will have developed some content for possible later use in your
Skills and Learning Statement.
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22.
7) RAP preparation guide
7.a) Introduction
The Oxford Brookes University Research and Analysis Project (RAP) is the final
component of the Oxford Brookes University BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting
degree. To reach this stage of the BSc degree you have already successfully
completed at least nine demanding ACCA professional exams.
You have already demonstrated your undergraduate level abilities by passing the
ACCA exams; the RAP provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate the
remaining graduate level attributes necessary for the award of the BSc degree.
Please read the RAP learning outcomes and assessment criteria carefully before you
start your RAP work. This will help you understand what is expected of an ACCA
student who wishes to submit a RAP to Oxford Brookes University.
You should understand that your research work and preparation of the RAP is
covered by the Oxford Brookes University academic regulations. This includes the
University‟s regulations on cheating which can be found on this website. If an ACCA
student or member is found guilty of breaching these regulations this could lead to
permanent expulsion from Oxford Brookes University and disciplinary action by
ACCA.
In particular, your submitted RAP must be your own work and your research must
have been undertaken specifically for the RAP. You cannot take a workplace
research or consultancy report and adapt it for your RAP. Neither can you submit a
piece of research work that has previously been submitted to another educational
institution for a different academic award.
The RAP is very different to an ACCA written exam. You have many choices to make
in order to produce a good quality RAP. You have to choose which organisation to
study, what you want to find out, which information sources you will use and how to
present your research findings. Each RAP is different and there is no „model‟ answer
to your project objectives. Your research findings may depend on how you collect
and analyse information, and your findings may not be wholly definitive. Your
conclusions may be unexpected or not what you might have anticipated before
starting the RAP work. This is the nature of applied research.
In order to produce a successful RAP you have to evaluate and / or analyse
information from a range of sources. This means creating some meaning of what you
have found, or making a judgment or coming to a conclusion. If you only report the
information that you have found or generated, you will not pass the RAP. The ability
to evaluate and / or analyse information is a very important graduate attribute and the
grade that you are awarded for your RAP will be significantly influenced by „how well‟
you demonstrate your evaluative and/or analytical skills in your RAP.
You may be one of the many ACCA students whose overall class of BSc degree will
not be directly affected by the grade awarded to your RAP (provided you pass).
However, a good performance in the RAP will demonstrate to your family, friends,
colleagues, tutors and employers that you are capable of undertaking good quality
research. If your ACCA average mark puts you in a position where achieving a high
grade in the RAP will gain you a higher class of degree, then you must aim for your
first project submission to be the highest quality research work of which you are
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23.
capable. You cannot resubmit a passed RAP and the RAP grade will be capped for a
resubmitted Research Report that originally failed.
Your RAP will focus on accounting and / or business issues within an organisation. It
is very important to remember that the reported financial performance of an
organisation – whether in the private or public sector – is the outcome of the
organisation‟s business activities. A private sector company usually competes
against other companies to sell its goods and services and its success in doing so is
reflected in the company‟s financial statements and financial performance indicators.
Therefore in order to explain why a company‟s financial performance has changed,
you must look into the company‟s business environment and identify those actions
taken by the company, its competitors, government etc which have led to changes in
the company‟s business performance. To understand change, you may need to look
outside of the organisation chosen for your RAP.
The remaining sections of the RAP Preparation Guide provide further guidance on
the preparation of your Research Report and your Skills and Learning Statement.
However, there some other general issues that you should think about before starting
your RAP work:





The suggested RAP project topic areas are based on different aspects of the
ACCA Qualification syllabus. The RAP is an opportunity for you to apply
some of your learning from your ACCA exams. You may have to develop this
learning in more depth to prepare a high quality RAP and this will enhance
your knowledge and skills in accounting and business.
You should consider your own strengths and weaknesses when considering
what to do for your RAP. If you prefer financial accounting to management
accounting, then would it be better to choose a RAP topic which is based on
financial reporting? Or do you want to improve your knowledge and skills in
your weak areas? If you want to use advanced statistical techniques, then do
you really understand how to apply them and to explain the output in business
terms?
Your RAP must have a single organisation as its focus. However you do not
have to work for an organisation in order to choose it for your RAP. If there
are substantial external information sources for you to undertake a RAP then
you may not need to contact individuals within your chosen organisation. If
you are working for an organisation, then you may, if you wish, choose your
own organisation as the basis for your RAP. However be sure that necessary
internal information will be made available to you and can be included in your
project report.
Do not start your research work without having spent some time thinking
about what you propose to do, how you propose to do it and when you
propose to do it. Although Oxford Brookes University does not require you to
submit an RAP outline for approval, we strongly recommend that you prepare
a short outline for your RAP and a timetable within which you show when you
expect to complete the different phases of the research work and how you will
meet the Oxford Brookes University RAP submission deadline. Be realistic
about what information may be available to you, what you can achieve and
how long it may take you to complete the RAP documents.
You must be independent and unbiased when undertaking research. You
may think very favourably about a company and / or its products. However if
you choose this company for your RAP you have an obligation to look at the
range of differing views about the company that exists and to evaluate all of
these views within your Research Report. You should not only use those
information sources that support your own view of the company.
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24.
Please read all of the RAP information on this website before starting your RAP work.
It is easier to make changes to your proposed project work before you have collected
all of your information rather than to try to make significant changes when writing
your Research Report and Skills and Learning Statement.
Finally, from time to time there are articles in the Student Accountant which will
provide useful information and more guidance on submitting a successful project.
7.b) Project topic areas and titles
If you intend to submit a Research and Analysis Project (RAP) to Oxford Brookes
University, Oxford Brookes University strongly recommends that you should choose
one of the following twenty approved project topic areas as the basis for your RAP.
1) An analysis and evaluation of an organisation‟s budgetary control system and
its links with performance management and decision making.
2) An evaluation of how the introduction of a new technology can assist an
organisation in achieving its business objectives.
3) An assessment of the potential impact of an aspect of impending legislation
on the operations and financial position of an organisation.
4) A review of the business management and accounting issues of
environmental costs of an organisation.
5) An evaluation of the use of short term and long term Islamic financial
instruments and their impact on the financial statements of an organisation.
6) A critical review of key factors or indicators in the motivation of employees in
an organisation.
7) A critical evaluation of the restructuring of an organisation‟s operational
activities and the effect on the organisation‟s financial performance.
8) An analysis and evaluation of the business and financial performance of an
organisation over a three year period.
9) A critical evaluation of the planning and implementation of an information
system in an organisation.
10) A review of the effectiveness of the use of costing techniques within an
organisation.
11) An investigation into the financial and operational costs and benefits of the
internal audit / internal review activities within an organisation.
12) An investigation into the possible effects of a proposed accounting standard
on the financial statements and business activities of an organisation.
13) An evaluation of the contribution made by human resource activities to the
attainment of business and financial objectives.
14) An appraisal of the business and financial objectives of a strategic investment
decision made by an organisation and its impact on key stakeholders.
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15) An analysis and evaluation of the management of an organisation‟s working
capital over a three year period and its impact on the organisation‟s funding
strategies.
16) A critical evaluation of the financial and operational risk management within
an organisation.
17) An assessment of the quality of the corporate governance within an
organisation and the impact on an organisation‟s key stakeholders.
18) A review of the marketing strategy of an organisation and its effectiveness.
19) An analysis and evaluation of the financial and operational consequences of a
merger between two organisations or of the acquisition of one organisation by
another.
20) An assessment of an organisation's corporate social responsibility policies,
including business ethics, and their impact on business practice and key
stakeholders.
For topic 8 and topic 15, you should ensure you are using the most current financial
statements available
The main focus of your project research must be an analysis / evaluation of the
project topic area issues in the context of your chosen organisation
There are two crucial aspects to ensure success in this project:
1) Your RAP must be focused on one organisation.
2) This analysis must be a business analysis not just a financial analysis.
You should combine the analysis / evaluation requirement of the RAP with the project
topic area and with your chosen organisation to produce your Research and Analysis
Project Title.
For example, if you have chosen an organisation called 'OBU Co' for your research
work, then some possible Research and Analysis Project titles are as follows:





An analysis of the key factors that influence the levels of motivation of staff
within OBU Co. (Topic 6)
An evaluation of the business and financial performance of OBU Co between
1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010 (Topic 8)
OBU Co: A case study for the evaluation of the use of different costing
techniques in the pricing of consultancy services (Topic 10)
A business and financial analysis of the entry of OBU Co into the market for
online postgraduate degree courses and the impact on teachers and learners
(Topic 14)
An evaluation of the quality of corporate governance within OBU Co and the
impact on OBU Co professionally qualified accountants. (Topic 17)
Your actual choice of project topic area and organisation will depend on the access
you have to internal and external sources of information about the organisation. This
is discussed elsewhere in the RAP Preparation Guide.
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7.b.i) Study of other project topic areas
Students have to remain within the listed topic areas and are not able to request to
undertake a RAP based on a different topic.
7.c) Research Report
Before you start work on your Oxford Brookes University Research Report, you
should read all of the information included in these web pages. In particular it is
important that you have a good understanding of, or have finalised, the following
matters before you start your research work:






What is expected of you in preparing your Research Report?
How will your Research Report be assessed?
Who will be your Project Mentor?
How do you ensure that your Research Report submission reflects your full
abilities?
What is the link between the Research Report and the Skills and Learning
Statement?
How do you ensure that you do not breach the Oxford Brookes University
regulations on cheating?
The purpose of the Research Report is to give you an opportunity to demonstrate a
range of Technical and Professional Skills in:




Understanding of accountancy/business models
Application of accountancy/business models
Evaluation of information, analysis and conclusions
Presentation of project findings
and Graduate Skills in:



Communication
Information gathering and referencing
Information technology.
All of these make a significant contribution to the learning outcomes of the BSc
(Hons) in Applied Accounting degree programme. You will demonstrate this range of
skills by applying some of your previous ACCA learning in an approved project topic
area to a specific, identified organisation. There is a maximum of 6,500 words for the
Research Report.
In this section we provide some guidance on how you could proceed to undertake
your project work. We also give a recommended structure for your Research Report
which should ensure that you have provided sufficient evidence for Oxford Brookes
University to come to a judgment in each of the assessment criteria for the Research
Report.
The Oxford Brookes University recommendations are not the only way in which a
Research Report could be undertaken. It is your decision as to how you manage your
project work and produce your Research Report. However in doing so you must be
aware of how your Research Report will be assessed. If you do not include content
which is relevant to one or more of the Research Report assessment criteria then
you risk not meeting the required standards. Similarly, if you include content that is
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not relevant, then you risk not providing sufficient evidence for Oxford Brookes
University to assess your abilities under one or more of the assessment criteria.
There are a number of issues that you must consider before you start your Research
Report as they could have a significant impact on both the way in which you develop
your project objectives and research questions and how you conduct your research
activities.
7.d) Getting to Grips with Research in your Research and
Analysis Project
Why do almost 50% of students continue to fail their RAPs on first submission?
Reviewing the causes of failure after each submission period confirms that students
have problems with the research process. This can be seen in students” reflections
on the research process” mentioned in their skills and learning statements.
“Research” is viewed as remote, the domain of academics rather than practitioners,
surrounded by a certain mystique. For many students it is a new experience, unlike
taking exams with which they are all too familiar.
In such circumstances it is perhaps not too surprising that many of you have some
difficulty in getting started; the blank page also acts as a block, as some writers
would confirm!
The results of these problems can best be understood by comparing and contrasting
“good” projects with “weak” projects.
Good projects are characterised by:

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

Specific and achievable report objectives;
A logical structure to the research report, underpinned and guided by a clearly
explained overall research approach;
A systematic approach to information gathering, relevant to the topic issues in
the organisation studied, and the report objectives;
An analytical and evaluative approach to information gathered based on
integrating and applying knowledge of relevant theories /concepts/models
from accounting and business to meet the original research report objectives.
In sharp contrast, failed projects reveal:

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
Either no objectives or objectives which are too general or unrealistic given
the constraints;
An absence of a clear statement of overall research approach and
inappropriate report structure and content;
Information gathering is haphazard, not appropriate to the issues in the
organisation studied or research report objectives;
Information gathered, including that derived from relevant academic theories
/models etc is described rather than applied to analyse and evaluate the
issues in the organisation studied in order to draw conclusions and make
recommendations relevant to the research report objectives.
Given that some of these problems exist, how can students learn to get to grips with
research and thus improve their chances of success in their RAP?
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28.
7.d.i) Demystifying Research
A useful first step is to demystify research and the research process as it relates to
your RAP.
In everyday use of language, to research means to investigate, to enquire, to look
into, to explore, to find out. If you think of researching as investigating, then you
would conduct some research if you were about to buy a car. This includes deciding
on your requirements such as size, economy, reliability, the price range etc. You
might study reviews of selected models in the motoring press to assist you in
evaluating alternatives. Finally, after test-driving some of them you would buy the car,
which best met your specification and which in your judgment represented the best
overall “deal”.
There are some similarities between this everyday view of research as an
investigative process, involving a number of stages or phases, and the RAP.
The RAP is an example of applied business research, with a focus on business
problems and issues set in the context of a single organisation. The purpose of
applied business research is to contribute to the solution of that problem or issue, or
increase understanding of its significance. It may result in certain recommendations
being made to an appropriate person in the organisation studied. There is a highly
practical and problem solving aspect of such work, with some similarities to a
consultancy project.
However, there is also an academic purpose underpinning the design of the RAP,
namely to ensure that certain transferable or graduate skills are mastered,
demonstrated by achieving a pass.
These skills include those of:

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
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Completing an independent research based project;
Information gathering and referencing appropriately;
Effective written and oral presentation;
Using information technology;
Problem solving, analysis and evaluation;
Self managed learning.
All of the above are assessed, primarily in the Research Report, while reflecting on
the learning experience of completing the project is assessed through the completed
Skills and Learning Statement, the second component of the RAP.
Applied business research requires the use of a systematic investigation process.
The key word here is “systematic”, which implies that it is planned and methodical, in
line with established research methods and takes account of other published work in
the relevant field.
The practical implications for the student are that there must be a systematic
approach to:



Information gathering;
Interpretation and analysis of information gathered; and
An overall evaluation which provides either answers to, or increased
understanding of, the original problem / issue studied.
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7.d.ii) Understanding the importance of the overall research approach
In the published guidance on the RAP the requirement to “explain your overall
research approach” causes some confusion among students. The further explanation
that it is “the framework …developed to meet your project objectives and answer
your research questions” does not seem to clarify matters sufficiently either. So what
exactly does it mean and why is it important?
It is best understood as the underlying structure which shapes and guides your
research report. It links a statement of what it is you are trying to find out to an outline
of the methods you have used to provide the required answers. It sets out a series of
important parts of the research process. These, related to the RAP, are set out
below.
a. The original problem or issue - defined by the approved topic you select - in
the context of your chosen organisation.
b. The specific research questions and report objectives which you set and
propose to answer or meet.
c. Reviewing relevant literature on accounting and business concepts/ theories/
models in order to determine which you will use, and their limitations, to
develop your understanding of the issues in the context of your chosen
organisation
d. Methods of information gathering you use including a discussion of the
limitations of your information gathering, and any ethical issues arising and
how they were resolved.
e. The analysis and evaluation you conduct, based on the business/accounting
techniques etc applied to provide answers to your research questions and
meet your stated report objectives
f.
Conclusions and any relevant recommendations of practical benefit arising
from your report.
Although this explanation makes the whole research process seem orderly and
sequential, in practice it is likely to be more tangled and disorganised. However, it is
helpful to establish a plan of how to proceed before you begin.
Try to write a brief statement outlining your proposed approach before you
commence your detailed information gathering that is after 2c above and certainly
before stage 2d. Then ask yourself some important questions:



Will this approach enable me to answer the research questions and meet the
report objectives I have set?
If not, do I need to gather more information from a wider range of secondary
sources, or conduct some primary research, or both?
Or do I need to review and revise my research questions or project report
objectives?
Once you are reasonably satisfied that you are on the right lines then you can
proceed further with your investigation. Thinking clearly about your overall research
approach and writing a clear statement about it will act as a guide through the
research process which will shape and structure what you do and how you do it.
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30.
In addition, a clear statement about your overall research approach enables the
marker to see that you have adopted a systematic and appropriate approach to
meeting your report objectives.
7.d.iii) Understanding the RAP constraints – and being realistic!
This is a 6,500 word report, assessed against specific criteria, with a recommended
report structure and content. Currently, there are 20 approved topic areas, which
form the basis of your RAP. These are drawn from the ACCA qualification syllabus
covering papers F1 to F9, and you will be familiar with them to some extent.
Once you have chosen a topic area, then your RAP must focus on one organisation,
which again you will choose. Your project research must be a business analysis and
evaluation, not just a financial analysis, of the topic area issues in your chosen
organisation. Your conclusions and any appropriate recommendations must answer
the specific research questions and meet the project objectives you set. These are all
constraints, which you must take fully into account in conducting your research and
writing up your research report.
The following suggestions should be helpful to you.
a. Set realistic, achievable research questions and report objectives. You are
not producing a Masters or Doctoral dissertation - so limit yourself to what you can
achieve within the constraints of the word count, structure and content of the
research report. Many students do not do this, and produce either a long list of
objectives – or else no objectives at all - both of which can lead to failure.
The criteria for effective objectives are sometimes defined as SMART objectives: that
is:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic and
Time bound
And it is just as well to think about these criteria in relation to the objectives you
propose to set. Do discuss your proposed objectives with your mentor before you
begin!
b. There is a recommended structure and content - so follow it, and take account
of the suggested word count in each of the three sections.
The benefit of following the recommended structure and content is that it acts as a
checklist and reflects the assessment criteria. Many students still continue to ignore
the recommended structure and content, and substitute one of their own. While this
is not a reason for failure in itself, it often leads to certain important requirements
being omitted from the report, which is a cause of failure. Remember also that
presentation is important, so check your report carefully for style, use of language,
clarity of expression, appropriate use of tables, diagrams, graphics and appendicesand make sure you stick to the limit of 6500 words!
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c. The nature and type of information you need to gather will be determined by
your choice of project topic area and the specific research questions and report
objectives you set. Depending on the specific research project objectives you set in
the topic area, all of the approved topics could be addressed using secondary
sources of information only. There is no requirement to conduct primary research
although in selecting your topic and organisation and setting your objectives
you must consider whether or not you will need some primary information.
You do need to look at a wide range of information sources, including Internet
sources. A common error is to rely far too much on a single source of information e.g. company annual reports, without considering additional information sources,
such as analysts reports, the financial press, consumer journals etc for an alternative
viewpoint.
You must consult academic sources in order to judge which accounting and business
concepts, theories, models and techniques are likely to be of use, both in
understanding related issues in your chosen organisation, and also in analysing and
evaluating all the other information you have gathered.
A business relevant “model” in this context is a representation of part of either what
may be termed as the business system or business processes. Its purpose is to
facilitate understanding, analysis and assessment of that part of the business system
or business processes to which it relates. There are a variety of such models or tools,
which can be used.
For example,




A PEST model identifies those factors which shape and influence the
business environment in which the organisation operates;
A SWOT identifies the key issues emerging from an examination of the
organisations internal strengths and weaknesses in the context of the
opportunities and threats which its business environment presents;
PORTER‟S 5 FORCES identifies those factors which determine the level of
competition in the industry in which the organisation exists, and thus key
aspects of the competitive environment which an organisation faces;
The VALUE CHAIN model enables an organisation to analyse and assess its
competitive strength.
A common fault here is to outline and describe a number of these models without
discussing their limitations or applying them to increase understanding of relevant
issues in the organisation and its business environment. Neither are they used in
analysing and evaluating the information gathered in order to judge how well the
original report objectives have been met. The lesson here is to use a smaller number
of relevant theories/models etc but to discuss their limitations and apply them both to
evaluating the issues in the organisation studied and in explaining your findings and
drawing conclusions related to your report objectives.
Remember also that a common cause of failure relates to failure in both
analysis/evaluation and information gathering/referencing. This arises when a lot of
information, not referenced in the text, is included in Section 3 of the report: Results,
Analysis, Conclusions, and Recommendations.
For example, a detailed SWOT is listed without any referencing at all – there are no
sources shown regarding any of the information presented. In some cases parts have
been extracted from an annual report, in others from other sources, but none have
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been properly referenced in the text. When this occurs, you must realise that you are
likely to be failed both in both the technical and professional skill of
“analysis/evaluation” on the grounds that it is not possible to judge where the
information used comes from and in the graduate skill of referencing.
Referencing is an important graduate skill. It acknowledges the work of others, thus
avoiding plagiarism, and provides evidence of the extent of your reading. It also
enables markers to check cited sources and evaluate your interpretation of them if
required. You are required to reference information sources in your report, both in the
text and in a comprehensive list of references.
d. If you do decide that you must conduct some primary research in your chosen
organisation, then there are a number of additional points to watch:



You must obtain permission from a relevant senior person in that
organisation. Students often experience difficulties in getting access to the
information required from the organisation they select, so you need to clarify
what you need and obtain the appropriate permission as soon as possible
You must also explain the methods used, sample size and sampling strategy,
and comment on the response rate
Finally, you need to discuss the ethical issues involved in conducting your
primary research and how you resolved them.
You should note that where questionnaires or interviews are used, then you must
include a copy of the questionnaire used, a summary of responses, a list of interview
questions plus details of interviewees and a summary of the main points in their
responses in Appendices to your report.
You should then extract significant points for comment and as support for your
analysis in the main body of your report. Remember also to be aware of the
limitations of your information gathering in primary research. Given your likely sample
size and response rate, and the word count limits of the RAP you can probably only
draw tentative conclusions from your primary research. These constraints generally
mean that a complex statistical methodology is not likely to be appropriate. Again this
reinforces the need to set limited and realistic research report objectives at the outset
of your research process.
e. Finally, and of great importance, is the need to remember that a major cause of
failure stems from insufficient analysis and evaluation of information gathered
and presented.
Students seem to have some problems with analysis and evaluation. Analysis implies
a detailed study of the elements of a complex phenomenon in order to explain or
interpret it more easily. For example, Topic Area 8 concerns “The Business and
Financial Performance of an Organisation over a 3 year period”.
“Business and Financial Performance” is a complex phenomenon. It contains a
number of elements such as market share, market growth, revenue growth,
profitability, liquidity, productivity and other efficiency indicators. Such indicators may
be quantitative or qualitative. Any study of business and financial performance over a
3-year period must of course take account of the business environment or context in
which the organisation operates. This is why a situation analysis, such as a PEST or
5 C analysis, can be of great help, but only if properly applied to the organisation in
its business context. Aspects of financial performance may be highlighted by
appropriate use of ratio analysis. However, any attempt to explain why these
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indicators have changed must be grounded in the business context which includes
some consideration of actions by government, competitors and the organisation
itself.
Evaluation is a process of forming judgments about something, in terms of its
significance, size, quality or impact. It implies processes of measuring, appraising,
estimating, and judging. In order to do this just looking at the organisations
performance year on year is insufficient. It needs to be considered against the
performance of similar organisations. Hence the use of comparator organisations,
“benchmarking ” against the best in the industry, or using industry norms is required if
one is to arrive at a more objective conclusion about performance –that is,
establishing in relation to others performance, whether or not the performance of the
organisation you have studied is judged as good or poor.
When considering performance, students also need to recognise that the judgments
of different stakeholder groups are likely to be based on different criteria or
indicators.
Shareholders will look at indicators related to capital growth and dividends;
Customers will tend to focus on a price/quality dimension –such as “value for
money”;
Suppliers may be much more concerned with liquidity /longevity of a business
relationship, and
Employees may be most concerned with those indicators related to increased
security of employment and promotion opportunities, such as growth and liquidity etc.
Thus a perspective, which takes account of such different indicators and viewpoints,
and includes both short and longer-term criteria is likely to be helpful in evaluating
performance. The actual perspective which is taken in this case will ultimately be
determined by the specific objectives established for your research report.
The need to ensure that your report demonstrates the required analytical and
evaluative skills will be important whatever your choice of topic area.
If you select the topic on corporate governance you need to able to define what it is,
the factors or elements which it consists of and how you propose to judge or assess
whether or not it is good, and in comparison with which particular yardstick. You
might, in this topic, select one of the reports which sets out a code of good practice
and use this as the basis on which to judge the quality of corporate governance in the
organisation you have studied.
If you select the topic on motivation you will probably evaluate your findings against
predictions originating from one or more of the motivational theories you have
reviewed. Again, the important point here is that if your report demonstrates that you
have applied appropriate analytical and evaluative techniques to the information you
have gathered, which enables you to meet your report objectives, then you will meet
the RAP requirements in this very important assessment area.
Do read carefully all the advice on how to approach your RAP in the Information
Pack on the ACCA website, and pay particular attention to the defined assessment
criteria. If you have concerns about tackling the RAP then you should note that in
addition to providing you with a mentor, many provider institutions also include a brief
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introduction to research methods, tailored to RAP requirements, as part of the
package. Mentors from provider institutions are more likely to be familiar with both
research methods and what it takes to achieve a pass in the RAP, and should be
able to provide the support and guidance you may require. Completing your RAP can
be a significant learning experience, and paying attention to the points outlined above
should help you to succeed.
Al Neilson 2010
7.d.iv) Information gathering
Every Research Report requires information as the basis for analysis. Information
sources can be categorised as either primary or secondary data. There is no
requirement for you to collect primary data within your Research Report; it is wholly
acceptable to undertake your Research Report using only secondary data. The
difference between primary and secondary data is identified below.
Primary data is original data that has been collected by a researcher by whatever
means appropriate in the answer of a specific research question. i.e. it has been
collected specifically for the Research Report. Examples of primary data include
questionnaires, interviews, e-mail contacts and surveys.
If you decide to collect primary data as part of your research work, then you should
state and justify the following:



The data collection techniques you intend to use e.g. questionnaires,
interviews.
Your sample size and an outline of your sampling strategy.
The method you will use to select your sample and the likely response rate.
If you intend to collect primary data from staff within your chosen organisation you
must obtain permission to do this from a senior member of staff within the
organisation. You should do this as early as possible during your Research Report,
since if you are denied access to your desired information sources you may have to
reconsider how to meet your project objectives and research questions.
Collecting and analysing primary data
1. Some students have misunderstood what is meant by „primary data‟. It is not
their „main‟ data, such as the company accounts used for Topic 8. It is data
which doesn‟t already exist and has to be collected to achieve the research
objectives/answer the research questions of the RAP.
2. Many RAP topics, notably Topic 8, don‟t require the collection and analysis of
primary data. It is rare that primary data collection undertaken for Topic 8
enhances the analysis.
3. Some topics do require primary data collection, notably Topic 6, (unless
relevant data already exists, such as employee satisfaction survey data).
When primary data is required, it is important that the student‟s overall
„research approach‟ is fully explained in the RAP, and the need for primary
data in addition to, or instead of, secondary data is justified. The suggested
structure for the RAP report is explained. It is stated that Part 1 of the report
should include „an explanation of your overall research approach. This should
provide the reader with an understanding of the overall framework that you
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developed to meet your research objectives and answer your research
questions.‟
(It is not expected in the BSc RAP that students develop a „research
methodology‟, or have a „research philosophy‟, as would be expected in a
postgraduate research project).
4. Some students declare an intention to test a hypothesis (possibly referred to
as a positivist study); particular care is needed when marking a project with
this approach as it sometimes leads to inappropriate or incorrect statistical
analysis and an ultimately narrow and inadequate analysis.
5. The research approach must explain:
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Why primary data is required, e.g. information on individual employee
attitudes to motivation at work.
Who will be the sources of this primary data, e.g. employees, managers,
company directors, etc., and why these are the required respondents.
How the student has secured access to these providers of primary data
(accosting employees outside the gate of their place of work is unlikely to
be satisfactory!). This is a particular aspect of research ethics, and other
ethical issues associated with primary data collection need to be
recognised as such by the student (See Appendix 4 of the RAP
Information Pack)
What method of data collection is to be used (survey questionnaire,
interviews, observation, etc.), and why.
The sampling strategy must be explained. Students should demonstrate
awareness of probability and non-probability sampling, and the approach
chosen should be appropriate. Whilst a statistical calculation of the
required sample size isn‟t expected, students should demonstrate
awareness of the size of the population being studied, and of whether
their sample size is likely to be representative. Saunders quotes the
advice of The Economist (1997) that a minimum sample size of 30 for
statistical analysis provides a useful rule of thumb.
Whilst the sampling strategy is critical for a questionnaire survey, it should
also be considered when planning to collect data by interview. A small
number of interviewees are acceptable, e.g. fewer than 10, but students
should justify a small sample size, explain their selection process, and
demonstrate that the interviewees are representative of the population
from which they are drawn.
6. The design of a questionnaire, or of a set of interview questions, is of critical
importance. The recommended structure for the RAP requires students to
explain in Part 2 both the methods used to collect information and the
accounting and/or business techniques to be used in the analysis. For those
RAP topics like Topic 6 which rely mainly on primary data rather than
secondary data, the questionnaire or interview design must clearly relate to
one or more business models. Theory must be used to structure the
questionnaire or interview, and should clearly influence the wording of the
questions. Questionnaires adopting the Likert scale facilitate rigorous
analysis, though a combination of closed and open questions can be
acceptable. Students should take care not to use irrelevant questions (e.g.
employee‟s marital status) and seek to correlate their data (e.g. different age
groups‟ ratings of the importance of different product attributes in a marketing
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survey). A copy of a blank questionnaire or list of interview questions should
be provided in the RAP appendices.
7. Analysis of questionnaire or interview responses should be systematic and
comprehensive. The total number of responses should be clearly stated, and
any analysis of percentages of responses should relate to the declared total.
A quantitative analysis of the responses (% of responses to each question or
to each element of the Likert scale) covering all of the questionnaire
questions should be included in the body of the report or in the appendices.
The analysis, and application of relevant theory, should cover all of the
questionnaire or interview questions.
8. Throughout the RAP report, use of data from surveys of interviews should be
properly referenced. Questionnaire results should be referenced as „author
research survey, date‟, or similar wording. Sources of interview data could be
given their job title and interview date, name if not confidential, or some other
form of anonymous but informative title (See RAP Information Pack, Appendix
3, Section 3.4 Personal Communication)
9. Whilst it is important to present the results of primary data collection in a
detailed and informative way, using tables, charts and diagrams where
appropriate, presentation isn‟t analysis. To meet the analysis requirements of
the RAP, the primary data must be critically evaluated using the business
model(s) identified in Part 2 of the report (or other models if appropriate).
Article by Phil Clarke June 2011.
Secondary data is data that has been collected by others for their own purposes, but
which may be used by a researcher for his or her different purposes. Examples of
secondary data include reference material, books, CD ROMs and financial
statements. You should always evaluate the appropriateness and relevance of
secondary data sources. Information included in internet sources may not be reliable
from an academic perspective and may not be appropriate for use in your Research
Report.
If you decide to use secondary data as part of your research work, you should state
and justify your choice to do so. Where you use published secondary data you must
provide precise references using the Harvard Referencing System. This is discussed
in more detail in the following section.
You must retain all of the information that you collected during your project work until
you have received official notification of your RAP grade from Oxford Brookes
University. This includes any questionnaire responses, copies of financial
statements, extracts from journals, reports, magazines etc. Oxford Brookes
University may wish to ask you to provide additional evidence of your information
gathering following the marking of your Research and Analysis project.
7.d.v) Referencing of information sources
You are required to reference information sources in your Research Report. This is
part of the graduate skills that you must demonstrate in preparing your Research
Report. Referencing is essential for the following reasons:

To acknowledge other people‟s ideas.
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
To allow the reader of your work to locate the cited references easily, and so
evaluate your interpretation of those ideas.
To avoid plagiarism (i.e. taking other people‟s thoughts, ideas or writings and
using them as though they are your own).
To show evidence of the breadth and depth of your reading.
You must use the Harvard Referencing System for your referencing in your
Research Report. This system and how you apply it to individual references in the
text of your Research Report, and the preparation of your 'List of References' at the
end of your Research Report, is explained in the Oxford Brookes University Faculty
of Business guide to citing and referencing for Business Faculty students which can
be found in APPENDIX 3
You should read this document very carefully. You must comply with its requirements
to demonstrate your graduate skills in information gathering and referencing. If you
identify the correct reference for every source that you use, at the time that you first
identify the source, then it will be straightforward to prepare your list of references
when you complete your research work.
7.d.vi) Research ethics
Oxford Brookes University requires all students undertaking research to comply with
the University‟s Code of Practice 'Ethical Standards for Research involving Human
Participants'. Before starting your Research Report you should consider the following
questions:
Does your proposed research involve any of the following:

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

Deception of participants,
Financial inducements,
Possible psychological stress,
Access to confidential information,
Any other special circumstances?
If you have answered 'yes' to any of the issues identified above, how will you
deal with these issues?
Are you likely to need to preserve participants‟ anonymity and/or confidentiality?
If you have answered 'yes', how do you intend to do this?
Even if your Research Report will only use secondary data sources and will not
involve any interaction with staff within your chosen organisation, you should still
read the University‟s Code of Practice to ensure that you understand the possible
ethical issues associated with undertaking research.
The Oxford Brookes University 'Ethical Standards for Research involving Human
Participants' can be found in APPENDIX 4.
7.d.vii)
Confidentiality and anonymity
In principle, Oxford Brookes University requires your Research Report to contain full
details of the organisation that you have investigated in your research, the
information sources that you used and the actual data that you collected. This
provides reassurance to Oxford Brookes University about the originality and the
genuineness of the information gathering and analysis in your Research Report.
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If you intend to collect primary data from staff within your chosen organisation you
must obtain permission to do this from a senior member of staff within the
organisation. However, although you may gain such permission, the organisation
may request that your research findings remain confidential because of concerns
over confidentiality and / or commercial sensitivity. .
If you want your Research Report to be considered confidential, to satisfy the
organisation who has sourced of your data, then you must write to the BSc
Programme Lead at acca@brookes.ac.uk and request permission. You should give
the reasons behind your request and how you intend to resolve such issues in the
preparation and presentation of your Research Report. In your request you will have
to identify the organisation which is the focus of your Research Report. The BSc
Programme Lead will decide whether to give approval to your request and will set
conditions which will have to be met to submit the requested project.
Note that it is not permissible to submit the project with data amended to try to
disguise the organisation‟s identity.
However it may be helpful to note that all Projects are confidential, never published,
seen only by a marker and moderator and sometimes by an external examiner, are
kept in a locked office, and pass projects normally destroyed after 12 months.
This issue must be resolved before you submit your Research Report to Oxford
Brookes University otherwise your project will be returned to you unmarked. In some
cases the Programme Lead may undertake to mark the project him/herself and allow
only the Chief Moderator to moderate the project.
7.d.viii)
Information Technology
As part of your demonstration of graduate skills you have to show reasonable
evidence of having accessed online information sources and having used a
spreadsheet and / or other software in preparing your Research Report.
It is important that you consider how you will meet this requirement in your initial
planning for your Research Report. Your choice of information sources may be
influenced by this requirement and you should carefully consider the possible impact
on your project objectives and research questions.
You have to word process your Research Report document and this contributes
towards meeting this requirement. However Oxford Brookes University also needs
evidence of the use of other software used to process data. For example, this could
be done by using a spreadsheet to prepare financial ratios / performance indicators
or by the preparation of graphs / tables / pie charts from a database that records
questionnaire findings. You should include sample printouts of spreadsheet formulae
or database queries to illustrate how you processed your data.
As part of your Skills and Learning Statement, you may wish to reflect on how you
have used your existing IT skills or how they have been improved by doing your
project research work.
7.d.ix) Preparing your Research Report
Oxford Brookes University has prepared a process model which identifies the key
activities and their timing in undertaking the Research Report. It also shows links to
the meetings with your Project Mentor. You do not have to follow this approach but
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we stress the importance of preparing a plan for how you will undertake your
research and prepare your Research Report by the deadline that you have set
yourself.
The Research Report process model can be found in APPENDIX 5.
7.d.x) Structure, word count and presentation
The word limit for your Research Report is 6,500 words. Oxford Brookes University
recommends the following structure and approximate word distribution for your
Research Report. We believe that this will allow you to demonstrate all of the
required technical and professional skills, and graduate skills in sufficient depth. It is
important to note that words included in tables within the body of the report are
included in the word count, appendices including financial statements are not
included in the word count and the list of references is also not included in the word
count.
TITLE PAGE
CONTENTS PAGE
PART 1 - Project objectives and overall research approach - 1,000 words
The first part of your Research Report 'sets the scene' It should include the following:
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The reasons for choosing your project topic area and choosing the particular
organisation that was the focus of your research work
What you wanted to find out in your research work. i.e. your project objectives
and research questions
An explanation of your overall research approach. This should provide the
reader with an understanding of the overall framework that you developed to
meet your project objectives and answer your research questions.
PART 2 - Information gathering and accounting / business techniques - 1,500
words
The second part of your Research Report should provide more detail about (i) the
information that you have gathered and (ii) the accounting and business techniques
you have chosen to apply to this information. It should include the following:

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The sources of information from which you have obtained relevant data
A description of the methods used to collect information, including online
access
A discussion of the limitations of your information gathering
Identification of any ethical issues that arose during your information
gathering and how they were resolved
An explanation of the accounting and / or business techniques you have
used, including a discussion of their limitations.
PART 3 - Results, analysis, conclusions and recommendations - 4,000 words
The third part of your Research Report should provide a detailed account of what you
have found from the application of your chosen accounting and business techniques
to the information that you have gathered. It should include:
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
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A description of the results you have obtained and any limitations
Presentation of your results in an appropriate form e.g. tables, graphs, pie
charts
A critical analysis / evaluation of your results which includes an explanation of
your significant findings
Your conclusions about your research findings and how well you have met
your project objectives and research questions
If appropriate, recommendations on specific courses of action to identified
individuals within your chosen organisation.
LIST OF REFERENCES
APPENDICES
Word count and appendices
You must stay within the specified maximum word count. Oxford Brookes University
reserves the right to fail Research Reports which contain more than the maximum
6,500 words. You will be asked to declare your word count of your project on the
Oxford Brookes University RAP registration form.
The 6,500 word limit excludes the Title Page, the Contents Page, the List of
References and the Appendices. Words used in tables and graphs and other forms
of data presentation are not included in the word count, however tables that include
written analysis (for example a SWOT analysis table) and words used in section
headings are included in the word count.
Word counts exclude: title page, contents table, equations, diagrams, references list,
bibliography and appendices, but include: headings, tables and in-text citations.
If you choose approved topic area 8 'The business and financial performance of an
organisation over a three year period' then it is likely that you will use the published
financial statements of the organisation as an information source. You must include
appropriate extracts from the organisation‟s financial statements in either the main
text of the Research Report or as an Appendix. However, these extracts are not
included in the word count.
You should use appendices only for supporting data and information. You should not
include written text that properly belongs in the main body of your Research Report.
You should keep the number of appendices as low as possible and no more than 8
sides excluding any extracts from financial statements.
Penalties for exceeding the word limit
The recommended rule is that only the parts of the submission within the word limit
will be marked, and the rest will be ignored.
Presentation
Your Research Report must be word processed using A4 size pages. You should
use black text on a white background. Avoid background graphics or pictures behind
the text and remember that italics and heavy bold type are less easy to read.
You should use an appropriate standard business font such as Arial with a font size
of 11 or 12. You may use a larger font size for section headings. We recommend a
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